There’s nothing like having only 45sqft of outdoor space to remind you how much you love having a backyard. When we moved into our rental condo after our wedding last June, it took a little while to realize that, hey, we don’t really have some place to hang out, BBQ and enjoy a few drinks. Sure – our condo has a really nice outdoor area that we refer to as the “Lido Deck”, but there’s something about having a place to call your own.

As our house hunt in Toronto became increasingly fruitless and we realized the 1-year-temporary-solution of our condo was less than temporary, we decided to spruce up our space. But still on a “temporary space” budget in case the unthinkable happened and we found a house.

So! Here’s what you can do with 45sqft.

It looks a tiny bit bigger than it actually is, right? We’ve really packed a lot onto it, but somehow it still manages to feel like an oasis instead of a scene from Hoarders. At least, I think so. Want to create a perfect balcony space of your own? Read on for my tips!

TIPS FOR THE PERFECT CONDO BALCONY GARDEN

add splashes of colour

In a tiny space, colour can make all the difference. The addition of some cactus cushions from Canadian Tire’s CANVAS collection (so cute!) and potting our cat-ravaged aloe plant for an outdoor life spruced up the space in an instant. The same goes for the adorable watering can (found at Caynes) in the perfect turquoise – it’s equal parts function & decor. And that cabana-striped rug I bought at H&M Home for our kitchen? It lives happily outside now.

make the most of the border

Choosing to edge the balcony with planters and greenery maximizes space and leaves us room to walk around and water the plants. The woven-look rectangular planters we found at Canadian Tire are the perfect home for tiny crops and bunches of flowers while the matching square planter houses tomatoes + herbs.

play with height

Tucking the vintage blush and gold chair with those perfect hairpin legs in the corner opened up a whole new dimension to our space. First off – it looks way better from the inside. But, more importantly, it frees up some extra square footage and helps the balcony to feel a bit larger. My only regret is that I didn’t buy two of them. You can get the same effect with a child’s chair or even a more conventional plant stand.

Charlie likes to skulk around like she’s in a jungle now that the plants are all grown in and we excitedly check on our tomatoes and cucumbers every day. Unfortunately our lettuce plants bolted and the swiss chard became infested with aphids, so they had to go. We’re still crossing our fingers for some strawberries, though! Oh, and those Cheerios wildflowers we planted in an attempt to save the bees…well, they’re finally blooming a month later! It’s all pretty gratifying, actually.